The North Dakota State Conference

First time events are always exciting and my visit to North Dakota was exceptional.  A small western state was the perfect place to begin my state conference visits.   The Daughters were welcoming, generous and very kind.  I cannot thank them enough for their hospitality.  The enormous basket of North Dakota items was like Christmas when it arrived at my home.  Bill and I had such fun anticipating the taste of food items originating in the state.  And, I had no idea so many famous people have roots in North Dakota.  It was a wonderful visit and I am eager for the remaining state visits. During this administration I have asked the State Regents to blog about my visit to their states and below you will hear more about the conference from Enid Lynch.

North Dakota Daughters were honored to lead the way, by hosting the President General’s first official visit.  She was “in the middle of everything,” as North Dakota is the geographic center of North America.  Plum Valley and Minishoshe-Mandan Chapters shared the state conference hosting responsibilities. NDDAR currently has 210 members!  We had four, count them four, pages!  One is a professional photographer, and we look forward to posting many photos. 

The State Officer’s Club hosted an evening Social featuring some excellent wines, a fine cheese, and tasty desserts, where all 42 of us met Mrs. Dillon.  While the Board of Management met, the non-BOM members attended a wonderful presentation about antique buttons made by sisters who are enthusiastic collectors and they even have some Revolutionary War-era buttons in their collection!  These keen collectors shared tips on the care of antique buttons.  One attendee remarked the presentation was so interesting it was a shame we didn’t schedule a longer presentation.  Afterwards, they visited Minot’s Pioneer Village, located just across the street from our conference hotel. 

The General Membership meeting began with the presentation of the Colors by the Minot High School Junior ROTC Color Guard.  This Conference closely followed our April 2016 State Conference, so some committee reports were short, but it was encouraging to hear so many reports of the work accomplished throughout the summer by the Chapters and Committees.  Some of the most significant developments during the conference were:

• We reported on progress made in marking past State Regent gravesites. 
• The NDDAR approved a donation to support Mrs. Dillon’s President General’s Project of needed repairs to the DAR buildings. 
• We also approved a purchase of a full page advertisement to honor the DAR’s oldest veteran, 104 year-old Terri Nelson. 
• A Cameo Club was proposed and approved.
• One of our Past State Regents donated some of her mother’s DAR pins to sell as a fund raiser for the State Society. 
• Voices sales of DAR tartan items raised $350 to support ongoing repairs at Constitution Hall. 
• A Privacy Policy and Bylaws review Committees were appointed. 
• A $100 prize for the State History contest winners and the Christopher Columbus Essay Contest winner was approved. 
• The Chapters all contributed to a lovely basket of North Dakota items, celebrating our status as the largest honey producer in the nation, the only state-owned flour mill in the nation, oil production, potatoes and sugar beets, and the home state of Louis L’Amour, Lawrence Welk, Angie Dickenson, and recording artist Milo Hotzenbuler.

The highlight of the Conference was Mrs. Dillon’s after-dinner talk, where she outlined her general and specific goals for the Society and for needed repairs to Constitution Hall. A Heritage Tea (breakfast) fortified us for the beautiful Memorial Service on Sunday.  We left Minot inspired and ready to do our part in Moving Forward in Service to America.